Russia

• Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Warsaw was “ready” to start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s after President Biden signed off on the delivery of the American-made aircraft. AWC
• Russia’s Defense Ministry on Tuesday said that it defeated a Ukrainian sabotage group that launched a cross-border raid in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast on Monday. AWC
• US officials have told The New York Times that they believe the drone attack on the Kremlin that took place earlier this month was likely carried out by one of Ukraine’s special military or intelligence units. AWC
• Biden administration officials have said that the US is looking into reports of US military equipment being used in a cross-border raid that was launched from Ukraine into Russia’s Belgorod region. AWC
• Moscow said Wednesday that a Russian warship protecting pipelines in the Black Sea was attacked by unmanned Ukrainian speedboats near the Bosphorus Strait, far from Russian and Ukrainian territory. AWC
• Russia’s Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said in an interview posted on Telegram Wednesday that 20,000 of his fighters were killed in the 224-day battle of Bakhmut. AWC
• Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Wednesday that cooperation between Russia and China has reached an “unprecedented high” due to pressure both nations are facing from the West. AWC
• A US aircraft carrier arrived in Norway for war games. Fox News
• The Ukrainian intelligence service is making multiple attempts to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin. A high-ranking official admitted to actively plotting the Russian leader’s assassination after a recent drone attack on the Kremlin. The Institute
• A neo-Nazi militia launched a cross-border raid from Ukraine into Russia’s Belgorod region on Monday using US armored vehicles, Financial Times reported Tuesday. AWC
• Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with a group of Republicans in Texas on Monday to urge them to continue supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia, POLITICO reported. AWC
• Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Tuesday that Ukraine is unlikely to win the war against Russia and that the only way the conflict can end is through a deal between the US and Russia. AWC

Armenia

• Armenia says it is ready to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as Azeri territory if Azerbaijan agrees to protect Armenians in the region. The Cradle
• Air Force Secretary Frank Kendell dismissed Chinese “surveillance balloons” as a distraction. VOA

Middle East

• Republican Senator Marco Rubio has reintroduced a bill designed to support state and local governments that combat the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. MEE
• Israel’s defense minister said Monday that the Israeli government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled airstrikes in Syria since taking power in late December 2022. AWC
• The head of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) threatened Tuesday that Israel could soon take action against Iran over its nuclear program and said the IDF has “the ability to hit Iran.” AWC
• US Central Command claimed they killed a senior al-Qaeda leader in a May 3 drone strike when announcing it on Twitter even though they had no confirmation of who died, CNN reported Tuesday. AWC
• As the Joe Biden administration continues its hurried push to foster an unlikely normalization deal between Riyadh and Tel Aviv, the White House is suggesting Israel make some concessions to the Saudis in the hopes of achieving an agreement, Times of Israel reported on Tuesday. The Institute 

Nigeria

• Nigerian police says two US embassy staffers were rescued after an American convoy came under fire. Gunmen killed seven people in the attack. WSJ